The present invention relates to a device intended for use in connection with the elevation of gun barrels, and which comprises two parts arranged telescopically in relation to each other, one of the parts being fastened to the barrel and the other part being fastened to a base, for instance a mounting, for the barrel. With said device, the displacement required between the parts for the elevation and depression of the barrel is achieved by means of a first medium with low compressibility, for instance hydraulic oil.
Particularly for field artillery, when it must be possible to elevate and depress the barrel manually, there is a pronounced desire that the operation shall be easy, and that there shall be an equalization of the unbalance of the barrel due to the act that the pivot suspension of the barrel is located comparatively far to the rear on the barrel, which has hitherto required that the operating force for actuation of the barrel be dependent on the angle of elevation of the barrel.
The present invention is primarily intended to solve said problem in a technically simple way, and the feature that can mainly be considered to be characteristic for the device according to the invention is that a quantity of a second medium with high compressibility is enclosed in a space arranged between the parts which has a minimum volume when the barrel is in the depressed position and a maximum volume when the barrel has the maximum elevation, the enclosed second medium then functioning as an equalizing spring for an unbalance obtained in the barrel due to the way in which this is supported in the base.
According to the invention, said volumes are also arranged in such a way in relation to each other that, with a given quantity of second medium, an increase of pressure in the first medium is required to actuate the barrel from an elevated position to the depressed position, and a reduction of pressure in the first medium is required to actuate the barrel from the depressed position to the elevated position.
A further development of the concept of the invention involves that an outside part of the device, between a protruding flange on such outside part and a supporting surface in a fixed position in relation to the base, has a ring spring mounted therein dampens the axial movements that occur in said one part. Such axial movements are caused by recoil phenomena when firing with the barrel and are particularly noticeable at high angles of elevation.